Making a House a Home.

 I love making our house cozy.  The girls have inherited that trait.  They have grown to join me in my obsession with lovely scented candles.  They take turns picking out the new candle to fill our house with warmth.

Speaking of candles, Terrell's friend Kay had a yard sale a few weeks ago.  I scored by picking up this outdoor candle holder.  It has been a nice addition to our back patio.

My mom helped me re-upholster our hammock.  She had helped me pick out this great outdoor fabric from one of her suppliers.  I have a few more pillows and a patio table runner in the 'works'.

It is a special treat having a mom that knows how to sew.  I was talking about getting a few more pillows for my couch.  She mentioned she had some scrap fabric I could have.  I ordered a couple pillow forms and before I knew it, she had a couple of awesome pillows made!

A Dog's Life.

 I would hope to claim that I am Bailey's best friend, but I think Sam has me beat!  These two dogs love spending time together.  Sam is my parents black lab.  He is old and sweet.  We call him the gentle giant.  He loves to wrestle with Bailey, but I think they both are starting to learn Sam's boundaries.  Sam spent a week with us recently and managed to not hurt himself wrestling this time.  Bailey seems to know that he has to take it gentle with Sam.  

When Sam is not around, Bailey spends most of his time at the circle window.  He waits for other dogs to walk by, and then he starts barking like a mad dog.  He is getting a bit better at not barking, but I am certain that he has no self control when I am not around to discipline him:).

Here is just one of the things that Bailey finds to watch outside of that circle window.  This bird decided to perch on our patio chair.  The bird stayed there so long, I though maybe it was nesting on an egg.  

Bailey still carries around Kevin's three shirts.  It is all I can do not to wash them.  I would hate for Kevin's scent to be washed away.  Bailey loves these shirts.

Virtual School and Other Adaptations.

The girls have been adapting well to virtual school.  Although for Sid, this is her second year doing online school through Gem Prep Academy.  I have noticed a HUGE difference between last year and this year for her.  She has become so much more independent.  Here she is doing her science lab.  I cannot even tell you what she was doing, as she did this 100% on her own start to finish.  I am very proud of her for putting in the hard work.

Kendall has been adapting very well.  There is even a small part of her that is really enjoying the flexibility.  Her school is doing as good of a job as they can at keeping the kids engaged.  She has even made a few new 'friends' this year.  Here she is during her guitar class.  She is also taking show choir as well.  It has been interesting to watch how the teachers have adapted and made the best of the situation.

I could not help but post this, as the girls took on the true role of 'fan girls' the other day.  One of their favorite photographers, Jordan Matter, did a 24 hour zoom watch party with special guests.  The girls acted crazy in hopes of being called upon to ask their favorite you-tubers a question.  Much to their chagrin, I did not let them watch the full 24 hours, but it was fun watching them get so excited while they were watching.

One of the social activities that they girls have kept up with is youth group.  Their leaders have done an awesome job of pulling the kids together and implementing safety.  This is Sidney's first year in youth group, and she seems to love it just as much as Kendall does.  

It is remarkable how the girls have adapted.  As I type, I am listening to Sidney on a zoom call upstairs with a girl in her class.  There is no way the Sidney from a year ago would have taken this kind of initiative, in person or through zoom.  These girls are really growing up! 

School Pictures.

We opted for outdoor school pictures this year.  The girls were excited to have Emily take their pictures, as they have known her through our neighbors, the Gammon's.  She did not disappoint.  The pictures turned out amazing.  

Sidney - 12 year Interview.

After watching Kendall struggle to answer these last January, I decided to update the questions to an 'more mature' set.  Here we go...Sidney at 12 years old.

1. Describe yourself.  Funny, kind, loving.

2. What are you thankful for?  My house, horseback riding lessons, my family and my dog.

3. What makes you happy?  Horseback riding.

4.. What makes you sad or angry?  When me and Kendall argue.

5. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A physical therapist.

6. What’s important to you?  Jesus.

7. What do you love most about yourself?  My blond hair.

8. What do you love most about your mom?  Her perseverance.

9. What do you love most about your sister?  Her outgoing-ness.

10. If you could go anywhere, where would you want to go?  Camping.

11. Who do you admire? Why?  Fallon Taylor, because she is inspiring.

12. What do you want to learn more about?  Horses.

13. What’s something you’d like to do to help someone else?  Mow their lawn.

14. What are you afraid of?  Beetles.

15. If you could only keep one thing, what would you keep?  Bailey.

16. What’s your favorite memory?  The dog toy that Dad got me and tried to pass off as a stuffed animal.

17. What are you proud of yourself for?  Trying online school.

18. What are you looking forward to?  Hallie coming this weekend.

19. What do you dream about?  Owning a horse.

20. What else do you want to say?  I have nothing more to say.

Twinning Birthdays.

These special ladies share a birthday.  It has been fun for Sidney to celebrate her special day with Grandma Karen.  This year we had pizza and homemade cheesecake.  

It seems that no matter how sneaky I try to be, I can never surprise the girls.  I believe I finally succeeded this year.  Sidney had outgrown her current bike.  I had convinced her that there were no bikes to be had, due to the pandemic.  Well that is largely true.  However, my persistent searching paid off, and I found her the most beautiful Townie bike.  She was thrilled.

Hannah joined the girls for the weekend and birthday celebrating.  She fits in just like one of their sisters.  We love having her around.

Sidney did not want a party this year.  She wanted her mom to go on a trail ride with her.  So, I did.  Alyssa and Sidney decided to put me on Reno.  I believe they made an excellent choice.  He was good to me, and I knew I could trust him.  However, that did not stop him from having a bit of fun with me.  My knees were SO sore after the ride!  It was beautiful and wonderful.  Most of all, I enjoyed that Sidney showed me the ropes.  She really is an amazing rider.  

My Anthem.

I am a worrier by nature.  I always have been, even as a child.  Worry has been the thorn in my side my entire life.  The past few years have given me a lot of reason to worry.  It has taken every ounce of PRAYER and WILL not to be paralyzed by that worry.  I may have shared this before, but I have a witching hour.  It is typically around 2 or 3 am.  I wake up and my mind fills with worry.  I have memorized the 23rd Psalm, as it seems to be the one thing that calms my soul.  Some mornings, it is so intense that I cannot seem to shake it and just determine that getting out of bed at that crazy hour is the best thing to do.  

Another thing about me, I love music.  I am not necessarily musical (after all I played the 'drums' in school), but I love music.  So when I heard this song the other day, it completely resonated with me.  To be truthful, it was very emotional to listen to the words.  It felt like someone understood exactly the battle within me.    

The Afters - I Will Fear No More 

Every anxious thought that steals my breath
It's a heavy weight upon my chest
As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold
Help me to remember that You're in control

You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord
I will fear no more

I will lift my eyes
I will lift my cares
Lay them in Your hands
I'll leave them there
When the wind and waves are coming
You shelter me
Even though I'm in the storm, the storm is not in me

You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord
I will fear no more
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh) I will fear no more
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh) I will fear no more

No power can come against me
'Cause You have overcome
No darkness can overwhelm me
'Cause You've already won
No power can come against me
'Cause You have overcome
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh)
No darkness can overwhelm me
'Cause You've already won
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh)

You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord (Trust You, Lord)
I will fear no more (Fear no more)

I will fear no more (Fear no more)
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh) I will fear no more
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh) I will fear no more
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh) I will fear no more

Source: Musixmatch